Even in the dimming light of dusk, Cele could immediately see how magnificent the Temple of the Muses was. It was built from stone nearly as white as marble, taller than it was wide, with the characteristic Simonese spires - that seemed to defy all laws of nature - to emulate its monumental and allegoric reach to the heavens.
They had ridden hard again for about half the day before slowing the horses to a respectable trot, making it to the city of Gierd, home of the Muses, by nightfall. It was a bustling city, the second largest in Simo, with cobbled roads and stone shops and houses littered throughout the streets. Tall iron posts lined the streets, cradling enclosed torches atop, lighting the city so defiantly that a foreigner might've believed that the Simonese didn't believe in sleep.